OTSS Podcast

On the latest episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn sits down with Bob Wheeler, the visionary president and CEO behind the modern resurgence of Airstream.Bob’s journey began in the trenches of General Motors as a mechanical engineer. While navigating the complex manufacturing floor, he earned his MBA at night, gaining invaluable, real-world lessons in leadership and labor relations. Seeking less bureaucracy and greater agility, Bob eventually transitioned into the RV industry, taking the helm at Airstream in 2005 after joining the company in 2002.Founded in 1931, Airstream is an undisputed American icon in luxury travel trailers. However, when Bob arrived, the legacy brand was suffering from stagnation, relying on a single outdated product line while sales dropped despite a booming RV market.In this episode, Bob reveals how he steered a storied company out of a slump and into record growth. Click on the icon to listen to the lessons he learned while successfully modernizing the brand for a new generation of adventurers without losing the timeless magic that makes an Airstream instantly recognizable on the open road. Here are our top five takeaways:* Spending time on the factory floor helps you understand what really makes the business run.* Fresh, external talent can be a great way to reinvent a brand.* Great marketing is about building relationships with future buyers long before they’re ready to purchase.* Leaning on past experience and company history keeps your employees focused when times get tough.* Leaving your ego at the door makes you open to better ideas and keeps your team collaborating.Get on the Factory FloorOne of Bob’s first roles after transitioning into the RV industry was supervising manufacturing on the factory floor. The experience was pivotal, as it taught him that the people on the floor are just as important as the products made there. Gaining a deeper understanding of those workers, how to connect with them and their needs has helped him throughout his career.“I started out in manufacturing management, which is a great experience I would recommend for anyone,” said Bob. “If you jump right into an office job and you are part of a manufacturing company and you don’t spend time on the floor with people that don’t have your background, opportunities or resources, and you don’t learn to communicate, connect and understand their perspectives, you really miss something important.”Bring in Outside EyesWhile Airstream’s trailers were iconic, they were also becoming stagnant and steadily losing sales to other competitors. The product needed a refresh, but it had to be done very carefully. To help accomplish this feat, Bob brought in a fresh set of eyes with an outsider’s perspective.“There was a real challenge and opportunity to refresh the brand, but it had to be done in a way that respected its heritage and didn’t ruin what is so magical about Airstream. Luckily, we partnered with a respected and talented architect out of San Francisco named Chris Deam,” said Bob. “He reimagined what the Airstream could be in a way that none of us had. When we saw it, we recognized that it really would change the game and reintroduce the brand and the product to a whole new generation of owners.”Plant SeedsMarketing can often be very focused on the near term. However, for Bob, thinking long-term and “planting seeds” is equally important as reaching quarterly goals. Doing so ensures that there will always be a steady crop of buyers for Airstream’s iconic trailers.“We have gone from just kind of answering the phone when people call and opportunities land in our lap, and they continue to at a rate we remain grateful for, to now being more strategic in who we want to partner with, rather than who is calling us,” said Bob. “And, maybe more importantly, how do we continue to push the brand to connect in ways with buyers that are younger? They might not be buyers in five or even 10 years, but how do we plant the seeds with future buyers in a way that they understand Airstream is cool, it’s authentic and can transform your life?”Keep Calm and Carry OnGuiding a company through an economic downturn and a pandemic can be a hair-raising experience for any CEO. However, Bob was able to rely on the knowledge he gained during the 2008 financial crisis to remain calm and collected. But just as critical as keeping yourself calm is allaying the fears of everyone else in the company.“When we hit the downturns in 2018 and 2019, when things got soft, and the crisis of early 2020, when the bottom fell out for about six weeks before it came roaring back for us and everybody else in the industry, you learn how to manage through that. You keep calm because you have done it before,” said Bob. “It helped to tell people that I had been through this and we had been through this before as a company. We were 90 years old then as a company and knew how to weather these things.”Be HumbleFor Bob, being humble is about more than just not being braggadocios. When you are humble, you become more open to collaboration and other ideas. By doing that, you become a much better manager and a more effective leader than one who thinks their ideas are always the best.“Humility is really a strong core value for me. It leads to a collaborative style of management. I don’t always have the best idea in the room, but every now and then a blind squirrel finds a nut,” said Bob. “I have got a great team, and I listen to them, and we collaborate a lot. Humility makes you open to others’ ideas, and many times, it is a better idea.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.otsspodcast.com

On the latest episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn sits down with Bruce Meyer, a true legend in the car collector world. As the founding chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum, creator of the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance and co-founder of the Peninsula Classics Best of the Best Awards, Bruce stands as one of the most respected ambassadors of automotive history and culture.Yet Bruce’s path into car culture wasn’t inherited, unlike that of many enthusiasts. Growing up in a family that viewed automobiles strictly as basic transportation, Bruce credits what he jokingly calls a “mutant gene” with sparking his obsessive passion for automobiles. Coming of age in the epicenter of Southern California’s 1950s hot rod boom definitely helped fuel his passion for high-octane machinery and create a lifelong romance that eventually led him into hot-rodding, racing and curating one of the world’s finest automotive collections.While his garage holds many priceless pieces of automotive history, Bruce will be the first to tell you that his true passion isn’t just the machinery but the incredible people who build, drive and preserve these amazing automobiles. Click the icon to listen to the entire episode as Bruce shares his insights from his lifelong dedication to car culture and what he learned along the way. Here are our top five takeaways:* You can learn a lot from your elders.* There are always risks in big ideas.* The right staff members can make all the difference.* Being a people person is pivotal to success.* Buying the best is always the right choice.You Don’t Know EverythingBruce’s father might not have given him a love of cars, but his dad did play a vital role in shaping him. His father, an entrepreneur who eventually bought GEARYS Beverly Hills, instilled in Bruce a strong business sense. The challenge for a young Bruce was realizing he didn’t know everything and that he could learn a lot from his dad by helping out in the family business.“When you are in your 20s, you think you know everything. I was in my 20s, and I thought I knew everything about mail order and retail. It was the height of my intellect,” joked Bruce. “My dad knew very little, and I knew it all. As you get older, you realize that maybe you didn’t know it all and maybe he did.”Big Ideas Carry Big RisksAs its founding chairman, Bruce has been involved with the Petersen Automotive Museum since its inception. One of the big ideas behind its massive $90-million redesign in 2015 was to completely transform its rather mundane exterior with 308 stainless-steel flying ribbons. Once unveiled, the museum’s new look was criticized by many in the architectural press. However, the risk was worth taking, as the criticism eventually faded, and the museum is now seen as an icon on Wilshire Boulevard’s fabled Museum Row.“When we got it open, the architectural critics threw us under the bus. They said we were the Edsel of architecture. They were very clever in telling people how awful we were,” said Bruce. “Now we are the darling of museums worldwide. We have been voted the best museum in the world by every metric and every group, and honestly, we are.”Hire the Right PeopleOne constant tenet we have heard from multiple entrepreneurs is the importance of hiring the right people. Bruce backs that idea up with the crucial decision to bring Terry Karges on board as the Petersen Automotive Museum’s executive director in 2012. Karges was the right choice and has had a massive impact on the museum’s success.“What really turned us around was a fellow named Terry Karges,” said Bruce. “Terry was created for this job. He worked for Disney, he owned his own race team and he worked for Roush. He knew cleanliness, discipline, how to staff and keeping your staff happy. I credit Terry with the rebirth of the Petersen. As much as David Sydorick and I did to lay the groundwork, it is Terry who is responsible for the Petersen we have today.”Be a People PersonOne of Bruce’s many superpowers is his ability to bring people together from disparate groups. It is a skill that has served him well throughout his multiple leadership and event roles. For Bruce, it isn’t a talent that he had to learn, but one that comes naturally from his love of people.“It all comes down to people. It doesn’t matter if you have a Ferrari GTO and you are the last man on Earth. If you have nobody to share it with, it is not so much fun,” said Bruce. “I just love sharing friendships and bringing people together. It just means a lot to me. I do it out of love, and I do it out of respect.”Make it Hurt OnceWhether it is buying cars, hiring people or anything else in life, Bruce always wants to get the best possible option. Doing so might not be the cheapest route, but it always comes out better in the long run. For him, the long-term benefits always outweigh the short-term financial pain.“That is my mantra. Buy the best and cry only once. I have had friends of mine who have told me when I bought a car that I could have bought it for a whole lot less,” said Bruce. “Well then, you might have to put a lot of money into it, and it becomes not a pleasant experience. Buy the best and cry only once, I live by that.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.otsspodcast.com

Automotive passion isn’t just a career for Vince Finaldi. It is built into his DNA. His story began nearly a century ago when his grandfather worked for General Motors in 1920s America before returning to Italy to open his own garage. Years later, Vince’s father followed the same path back to the U.S., establishing a shop that repaired and imported legendary Italian marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Alfa Romeo. Growing up in this high-octane environment, Vince was hooked early, spending his high school years in the shop covered in grease and learning the trade from the ground up.However, his path to leading one of the world’s most prestigious concours events into the future was anything but linear. After high school, Vince enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, leveraged the GI Bill to earn a law degree and spent two decades as a high-stakes trial attorney. But when the relentless stress of the courtroom took its toll, the call of his family’s legacy proved impossible to resist. Pivoting back to his roots, he founded a world-class Italian-focused restoration shop in Carmel, California, a journey that ultimately led him to become president of the world-renowned Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.On this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, Vince shares the wisdom he has learned over his incredible journey with host Dan Kahn. Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:* The formative years of your life lay the foundation for the rest of it.* You have to take risks to accomplish anything.* Like great art, great cars should be shared with the world.* Live your life in thirds.* Leaders should always focus on the future.Lay the Foundation EarlyVince joined the Marines right out of high school and credits that decision with shaping his future. His experience in the Marines in his formative years molded the person he would become. It also gave him the outlook and leadership skills early in his life that he would carry throughout his career.“I joined (the Corp) when I was 18 years old. I was part of an organization that was run very efficiently, with a very firm and tight organizational structure and chain of command. That is kind of what I have always known from the time I was a kid, and that has carried with me throughout my career,” said Vince. “It is a good foundation to have and a good foundation to set for your staff if you are running any type of business.”Take Risks and Take ChancesMany would see Vince’s career arc as the result of a carefully laid-out plan. Surprisingly, that isn’t the case. Rather, Vince got to where he is by taking risks, and he encourages others to do the same.“I didn’t have this plan. I ended up getting here, but I took chances, I took risks. I was presented with something in my life, and it was something I could either see as an opportunity or as a negative,” said Vince. “I always saw challenges in life and events that occurred to me as opportunities, and I always dove into them headfirst. That is how I got to where I am.”Great Cars are Meant to Be SharedThere are all kinds of automotive enthusiasts with different views on collecting cars. However, one tenet that Vince strongly believes is that beautiful cars are meant to be shared with the world. Like great art, they shouldn’t be hidden in a private collection, but enjoyed by the public. It is a belief perfectly suited to his role as president of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.“One thing I am very into is using cars and sharing cars with the world. That applies not just to cars, but to art as well. I don’t really see why certain cars are squirreled away, only for a select number of people to see. It is the same thing with art. The best art should be shared with the entire world,” said Vince. “I think that is how cars are, too. Cars should be used, and they should be enjoyed.”Life in ThirdsThe right mentors can make a big impact on anyone’s life. That is definitely true of Vince, as he met someone early on who had a profound impact by giving him a philosophy to live by. Even though it was decades ago, Vince still uses that guidance today.“I met someone early on in my life who gave me really good guidance and advice. He said that if you are looking for a way to structure your life, you should spend the first third of your life educating yourself,” said Vince. “The second third of your life you spend applying that education, making money, establishing yourself and freeing yourself from the economic chains that can bind you and hold you down. If you can finish that, then the last third of your life you should spend giving back to all the people who helped you get there and give away everything you’ve had the good fortune of earning, so when you’re on your deathbed, you die broke. And that is a life well lived.”Focus on the FutureFor Vince, the role of a leader is to be focused on the future. If you focus only on the now, you become reactive rather than proactive. And that is a surefire way to doom your business to stagnation or worse.“Any leader of a company that you talk to, if they tell you that they focus on the now and the yesterday, then you can see the results in their company. That is not going to be a company that is doing well,” said Vince. “The leader of a company should be living his life two years, three years or five years ahead. That is your job. Your job is to live in the future. My job is to look at trends and headwinds and figure out how we are going to deal with them.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.otsspodcast.com

Welcome to another episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, where host Dan Kahn sits down with leaders and entrepreneurs from some of the most dynamic brands in America. In this episode, Matt Stevenson shares his journey to president and CEO of Holley Performance Brands and the many lessons he learned along the way.Matt’s deep-seated fascination with cars wasn’t born in a boardroom but handed down directly from his father, igniting a lifelong passion for anything with an engine. That obsession eventually drew him to Flint, Michigan, where he attended GMI, the historic General Motors Institute, now known as Kettering University. But while the campus was dominated by mechanical engineering students buried in blueprints, Matt intentionally took the road less traveled. He was one of the few business and marketing students on campus, determined to understand how to drive the industry forward from a business perspective.That strategic pivot kicked off an incredible corporate journey. Matt got his feet wet at Mack Trucks during college, later rising to lead the Daimler light truck group before making strategic moves to Bridgestone and even running Terminix’s residential pest control business. From there, he transitioned into the hyper-competitive private equity world, successfully executing a massive operational turnaround as the CEO of the legendary Blue Bird school bus company. Now at the helm of Holley and its over 70 brands, Matt brings his unique business-first perspective back to his automotive roots.Click on the icon above to listen to the entire in-depth episode, and here are our top five takeaways:* A customer-centric approach is critical for success.* Fast movers have a competitive advantage.* Events are key to staying close to your customers.* Staying close to your frontline workers is important.* Leaders need to adapt their style to fit the situation.The Customer is EverythingOne thing that Matt learned very early on in his career is the importance of taking a customer-centric approach. For any business, keeping the customer happy is always important. Happy customers become brand advocates and repeat purchasers, helping drive steady growth.“The customer is everything, especially in our business, where we have multiple sets of customers. There are not just our enthusiast consumers, but also our distribution partners, installers and national retailer partners,” said Matt. “You always have to put yourself into the shoes of what that customer is looking for and how best to serve them.”Move Fast to Make an ImpactOver his career, Matt has turned multiple businesses around from loss leaders to profit centers. One way he has accomplished this is by cutting through red tape to make decisions much faster. Then, he empowered his teams to do the same.“Over the years, when I was at certain companies, I saw them become slower and more bureaucratic. Ultimately, everyone likes to make an impact. Those who move fast can have a competitive advantage,” said Matt. “So that is why I look at how I can empower my team and how we are able to cut the bureaucracy out to have a team that works closely together, has clear transparency of what the goals are and then can just get it done.”Events Are CriticalHolley’s LS Fest started in 2010 and is now a multi-city event series that draws well over 100,000 people. For Matt, events are critical not just for celebrating customers, but also for staying close to them. And the closer you are to your customers, the better you can serve them.“For us, it (Holley LS Fest) is a way to stay close to the customer, and it is a way for us, in some regards, to give back. We are doing a lot more focus groups there and getting direct product feedback,” said Matt. “Our team just loves it. Being out of the office and talking to our customers, there is no better day.”Support Your FrontlinesFor big organizations, staying close to workers on the “frontlines” is just as important as staying close to customers. As companies grow, more layers are naturally added between the top and the bottom. But without effective communication channels, leaders can miss out on important feedback from workers closest to products and customers.“If you can have that mindset of how to support the people on your frontlines who are talking with the customers or working in facilities or developing great products. How do you support them in that servant-leadership mindset and take out obstacles?” said Matt. “When I say that good ideas sometimes go to die in middle management, it is not that there are bad people by any means in middle management or those middle layers. It is just that they can get stuck if there are not the right lanes and structure for them to communicate what needs to be done.”Nails and HammersOne of the most important lessons Mat has learned over his long career is that leaders need to constantly adapt. Not every situation requires the same leadership style. And using the wrong leadership style in certain situations is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.“There is a time and place for certain types of leadership. When you are in a firefight, there is one style of leadership. If you are kind of neutral, there is one, and if you are in growth mode, there is another,” said Matt. “Not everything is a nail, and everything can’t be a hammer.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.otsspodcast.com

Monterey Car Week stands as the ultimate mecca for automotive enthusiasts worldwide, but few events capture its spirit quite like The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. One of the co-founders of this iconic event is Monterey native Gordon McCall, whose life was profoundly shaped by the roar of engines at the nearby Laguna Seca raceway. From sneaking into the track as a kid to sweeping floors at a local Ferrari dealership for his first job, his journey from a young enthusiast to now serving as the director of motorsports at The Quail is an amazing one.On this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, host Dan Kahn sits down with Gordon to trace the event’s history back to its inception. Listeners get a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the vision required to build and sustain one of the most prestigious automotive events on the planet. Whether you are a die-hard gearhead or an aspiring entrepreneur, this conversation offers deep insights into turning childhood dreams into an international phenomenon.Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:* Find your own niche.* A respectful approach is better than an exclusionary one.* Think long-term and avoid a transactional approach to events.* Collaborating is better than competing.* Don’t wait to pursue your dreams.Make Something DifferentThe Pebble Beach Concours is the flagship event that started Monterey Car Week and has long been its cornerstone. When Gordon first envisioned The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, he didn’t want to copy or compete against it. Focusing on carving out its own niche and making The Quail about more than just cars has been one of the keys to its great success.“I saw something entirely different. I always wanted the cars to be important in their own way. But the fact that we don’t have judges is completely out of respect for Pebble and what it represents,” said Gordon. “If you don’t want to worry about opening your hood, if you want your car accepted on the front end, and you want to come and just have a great time and meet some amazing people, come to The Quail.”Respect EveryoneSome concours events can be very rigid and stuffy, only accepting certain types of vehicles and looking down on others. While The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering still has very high standards, Gordon wanted to move away from that vibe. For him, it is more about respecting others and sharing their automotive enthusiasm regardless of what they drive or their net worth.“It comes down to respecting everyone. It is not hard to do, it really isn’t. Everyone has a different reason for what it is that they do, but I think there is a real level ground,” said Gordon. “That is what is so neat about events like The Quail. You get everyone together, and the common denominator isn’t net income or worth. That is there of course, but really it is enthusiasm that is the biggest common denominator.”Look Past the Cash RegisterFlagship events like The Quail can be serious investments for brands. That fact can lead brands to view major events as more transactional, where their presence must generate immediate revenue. However, for Gordon, taking a longer-term outlook on events is a much better approach.“The idea of looking past the cash register ringing that day, that is something I know is a bit of an intangible,” said Gordon. “The conversations that companies have during the day might not ultimately sell a car that day, but the business will come their way because of those conversations. That is a tough thing to wrangle, but it is real.”Constantly CollaborateOne of the elements that has kept The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering a success over two decades is constant collaboration. Instead of viewing brands as potential competitors, Gordon has sought ways to collaborate with them. Working together with brands can be a powerful multiplier that also helps to form new relationships.“I am a huge fan of the idea and the concept behind helping to make each other shine, and it is really collaborations that do just that,” said Gordon. “Being a catalyst is definitely something that I find really satisfying. If there are certain people who need to know other people and it is win-win stuff, I love doing that. The Quail is like that. I look at the relationships that come out of The Quail, and it is remarkable.”Jump InFor those looking to follow their passion and turn it into a career, Gordon’s advice is simple: don’t wait and pursue your dreams now. Sitting back and waiting doesn’t do anything but burn time.“The water isn’t warmer if you jump in later. Find your passion and don’t hesitate. Jump in. Just jump in and just do it,” said Gordon. “If you got an interest in something, pursue it. Find other people who have done what you want to do and ask them to mentor you along the way. But go for it, don’t sit back.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.otsspodcast.com